Road to Zero Coalition plans to end traffic fatalities

Federal agencies have partnered with the nonprofit National Safety Council to launch a program with a mission to end traffic fatalities within 30 years. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have created the Road to Zero coalition with $1 million per year in funding from the Department of Transportation.

“Our vision is simple – zero fatalities on our roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We know that setting the bar for safety to the highest possible standard requires commitment from everyone to think differently about safety– from drivers to industry, safety organizations and government at all levels.”

Agencies report that 2015 had the largest increase in traffic deaths since 1966 and the estimates for 2016 are already on track to surpass 2015. The coalition will promote proven strategies as well as develop a new vision on how to achieve their mission of zero fatalities.

Improving seat belt use, placing rumble strips and other successful tactics will continue to be priorities. However, it is the deployment of automated vehicles and other technologies that give coalition members hope that the goal of zero fatalities is achievable within the next 30 years.

“The “4Es” – Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services provide a reliable roadmap for driving down fatalities. Coupled with new technologies and innovative approaches to mobility, we may now hold the keys that get us to zero,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council.

The Road to Zero Coalition plans to focus on overall system design, addressing infrastructure design, vehicle technology, enforcement and behavior safety. One of the group’s guiding principles is to find ways to ensure human mistakes do not result in fatalities.